Page 24 - The Secret War in the Italian front in WWI (1915-1918)

THE SECRET WAR ON THE ITALIAN FRONT IN WWI (1915 – 1918)

nearly all our codes? What ciphers? Diplomatic codes, the Red Code, a few Mengarini codes
or the Pocket Military Cipher? Or the keys to our most secret and protected codes and ciphers
that, as far as we know, the enemy did not find promptly? 20

The belief of a deep inferiority of Italian cryptology continues to circulate today thanks to various
publications, especially by Austrian authors, as shown below by the analysis of some works
published on this subject from the post-war period up to the present day.

The PublIcaTIons by luIgI sacco and andreas fIgl
Considering the secrecy that should surround these topics, it surprises that so many books on
cryptology and, more in general, on Radio Intelligence events on the Western and partly on the
Eastern Front were published in the 1920s . Conversely, the great number of books and articles on
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the WWI’ events on the Italian-Austrian front, which were published before Ronge’s work, rarely
referred to the cryptology, with the exception of Sacco’s and Figl’s books.
Luigi Sacco and Andreas Figl were the two main figures of the cryptologic war that they fought
on opposing sides of the Italian-Austrian front. Their two works, completed in the mid-20s of the
past century, are mainly technical books that illustrate the lessons learned and the ideas developed
during the war, but, for reasons of secrecy, they contain very scant information about the vicissitudes
lived and the results achieved at that time.
The book authored by Luigi Sacco titled Nozioni di Crittografia (Notions of Cryptography) was published
by the Italian Army General Staff in 1925 and freely marketed in 1930. Later editions were released in
1936 and then in 1947, the latter under the title of Manuale di Crittografia (Manual of Cryptography).
Only in this last edition, Sacco added some information about codes and ciphers used by the belligerent
armies during WWI. His Manual was widely and internationally disseminated thanks to its translation
into several languages, including English and French, and it is still useful for training purposes .
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Among the complimentary comments Sacco received for his book, we mention those made by
David Kahn. In the preface to the first edition of his monumental work on the history of cryptology,
Kahn recommends that those who want to examine in depth the methods for solving ciphers
should only consult two books, one of which is the Manual by Sacco .Twenty-seven years after
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20 O. Marchetti, op. cit., p. 182.
21 Here is a list of publications by:
– French authors: M. Givierge, Questions de Chiffre, Revue Militaire Française, Paris, 01/06/1924; M. Givierge, Course
de Cryptographie, Berger-Levrault, Paris, 1925; F. Cartier, Le service d’écoute pendant la guerre, Radioélectricité, Paris,
01/11/1923; 15/11/1923; F. Cartier, Les secrètes en Radiotélégraphie, Radioélectricité, Paris, 10/12/1925; 25/12/1925;
01/01/1926;
– British authors: J. A. Ewing, Some Special War Work at the Admiralty, December 13, 1927, Cryptologia, Vo l. 4, N°4,
p.1 93 – 203 and Vol. 5 N° 1, p. 33 – 39; W. S. Churchill, The world crisis, Charles Scraiber’s Sons, New York, 1923;
– American author: William S. Sims, Burton J. Hendrick, The Victory at Sea, Doubleday, Garden City, N.Y., 1921;
– German author: W. Nicolai, Geheime Mächte, Internationale Spionage und ihre Bekämpfung im Weltkrieg und heute,
Koehler, Leipzig, 1925.
22 Luigi Sacco, Nozioni di crittografia, lezioni tenute al primo corso Informatori, Army General Staff, Situation Office, Rome,
1925; Generale Luigi Sacco, Manuale di crittografia, Second edition, Rome,1936; the updated and augmented third edition
dates back to 1947. A digitized and expanded fourth edition was published in 2014. The second edition was translated into
English by Helen F. Gaines in 1938 (registered in Kent State University Library, Cryptography Manuscripts, 1915 - 1961) and
printed in restricted edition by the War Department of the United States of America in 1941. The third edition of 1947 was
translated into French in 1951. The English edition, published in 1977 by Laguna Hills, Calif: Agean Park Press, reproduces
the 1938 translation by Helen F. Gaines. In the following pages, we will always refer to the Italian edition of 1947.
23 David Kahn, The Codebreakers – The Story of Secret Writing, Macmillan, New York, 1967; last expanded edition: D. Kahn,
The Codebreakers: The Comprehensive History of Secret Communication from Ancient Times to the Internet, Scribner, New

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